Entrepreneurs: the missing link in the training of medical scientists

I found this great article from the journal Nature. It talks about how academia, particularly in medicine tries to shield young, impressionable students from the private sector. The idea for this makes sense from a superficial observation. I mean, if all of my fellow students took notes with Viagra pens I would be worried about the future! But, honestly I think we have to approach this issue with more pragmatism. The greatness of medicine in this country has come when the research world and academia bridged itself to private industry, in a harmonious way. The article says,

"the major reason universities are reluctant to engage the private sector stems from a deep-seated feeling that their students represent a particularly vulnerable population, and must be protected from corrupting industry influences."

If students were taught more explicitly how to embrace the entrepreneurial spirit and to translate their knowledge into the private sector - then their more pure aspirations of helping people are much more likely to come to fruition. I think essentially it must be a safe but encouraging balance between medical scientists in training and the private sector. Under the proper supervision and armed with a healthy reality of how business works, we can bridge the gap.